Cellulose and hemicellulose are two major constitutes in the biomass and can be broken down to C6 and C5 sugars using acid or enzyme hydrolysis processes.
Furthermore, diols can be derived from C6 and C5 sugars via hydrogenolysis. For example, ethylene glycol and propylene glycol can be derived from biomass, as demonstrated by U.S. Pat. No. 6,982,328.
C2-C6 diols from ethylene glycol to hexanediol cannot serve as fuel components as they are immiscible with hydrocarbon yet miscible with water. To convert them to fuel molecules, complete hydrotreating is not a desired process as the final products are light hydrocarbons which are of limited use in the gasoline blending pool, especially for ethane and propane. However, mono alcohols are legitimate gasoline blendstocks that can be produced by partial hydrogenation of the diols.